It's my first time posting. I've just had a colostomy a month ago. I'm wondering which is better for quality of life: to keep the stoma or to return to a normal anus. As far as I have looked up, there are so many problems after getting it back. But at the same time, having a stoma also presents many difficulties in life. Please give me any opinions or advice.
P.S. Forgive my poor English since I'm not a native English speaker.
Greetings bebej... from Tokyo.
Welcome to the community.
To help you along... it's just called a colostomy... no need to say anus.
Therefore, you have one and are deciding whether or not to keep it or have a reversal.
There have been some very successful reversal stories from members here who will answer your questions. It is not bad news. We can't tell you what to do as for which is better... that's your decision.
If you have no medical issues... if you have enough colon left... if you have an experienced surgeon, then that's all good news for you to have a reversal.
Why do you have a colostomy?
The more details you give us, the more we can help.
Hoping you stick around. There is a lot to learn.
MeetAnOstoMate is a remarkable community of 41,403 members.
“I mostly read and still feel like I belong.”
“Doctors took notes; they want others to find this website.”
“From midnight blowouts to big wins, there’s always a hand to hold.”
Hi All, If you have an " old" or recent ostomy, this is the place for you. I think I've been a member for more than 15 years, but I have had my surgery, since I was a kid of 15 ( do the math-that's more than 60 years ago). As a teen, with a new ostomy ( for Ulcerative colitis) my parents dragged me off to my first ostomy association meeting. I wasn't happy, but in the long run, it's the best thing that happened to me. I met others, older, and teens like me, adjusting to the changes. A group of us started a Young adult group, and helped each other, and even visited kids who were new to the world of ostomies. But soon I married, and moved out of state, and although made some connections with other NJ ostomates, I became pretty much isolated. Until I discovered MaO. By then, I was having a myriad of other medical issues, and my aging stoma " wasn't doing well". I received a lot of help and support from members! I was pleased that I was also back to supporting others. I met a gal on line (from Papua New Guinea) who was trying to help ostomates in her country. There is a scarcity of supplies in some other countries, and unlike the US, insurance to pay for supplies isn't available. When my son followed his "love" twenty years ago, and moved to Australia I took advantage of an opportunity to help other ostomates. On one of my first visits to Oz, I brought a suitcase full of Ostomy supplies, handed them off to an Ostomy assoc. On the Gold Coast, who then had a friend take them to PNG. They were grateful for the help, and Janet and I still write.. This is the place to be, if you need help, and it also gives you the opportunity to provide help and support to others. Feel free to write, if you'd like to chat, about things ostomy, or life in general. Best REgards to all.. Marsha
Welcome to the site! You’ll find plenty of friendly support here!
I have a permanent colostomy, so I can’t help with information about reversal but there’s people on the site who have had reversals and have told their stories. You’ll maybe have to look through old posts.
Look at it this way: if you keep your colostomy for 10 or 20 years, will you be thinking, "I wish I had a reversal; I know it would have worked for me"? As you say, there are no guarantees with either, but if you don't try, you will never know. Reversal was never an option for me, but from everything I've read over the years on here and other sites, I've seen more successful reversals than ones that have had problems. I know it's not easy; you have a choice. Take your time making your decision.
Bebe
Reversal is a very personal choice. It also depends on the reason why you have the colostomy, your anatomy, and whether you are able to have a reversal, and your choice. I had a very challenging reversal recovery, but overall, I am happy I had it done. I had emergency surgery due to a ruptured colon and was advised that reversal was possible at 3 months.
Welcome to the site. Please ask any question or post frustration, as most of us have been through similar situations. Someone will always respond!
footie
Thank you so much for your reply. I found one old post about reversal. (Unfortunately, I can only use Osto AI twice unless I upgrade or become a Premium member...) I guess I have enough time to consider this issue carefully since I've just had a stoma for less than 2 months and it's too early to have another operation. I have enough colon left, so I'd like to keep my options open.
As for the reason for having a colostomy, it's because of peritonitis surgery. To make a long story short, I have so many troubles with intake (=eating) and also egestion. For these 5 years, my weight has been under 35kg... (162cm for height). Then I had a hernia. Probably, from there, I had peritonitis.
Looking forward to the members giving me much more advice!
Thank you for your advice!
As I wrote a reply to Warrior, I will take time to think about this issue until I can find out the best answer for me.
Thank you, footie
I'm looking forward to having advice from the members!
Hello Bebej and welcome to this site…you have definitely come to the right place for information sharing and support. You are early in your request for information and this is very good. First you need to heal and get stronger and this takes time. Time also helps in seeking the answer that is best for you. You are the only one (not doctors, family or friends) that knows your own body and strengths as you do. Everyone wants to be helpful and everyone wants you to get better so you will get many opinions….but the final decision is yours. Wishing you great strength at this difficult time. Stay positive and do your research…using good judgement is important. In depth research and self awareness will hopefully help you to make a good decision. Best wishes and keep us posted…. hugs, jb
Hello,
Everyone has given excellent advice. I have a friend in Canada who underwent reversal. She is very happy about her decision. She was in a car wreck, damaged her colon. 6 months after colostomy surgery, she had reversal.
Take your time. Read and research reversal. Ask many questions before making a choice.
I have a permanent colostomy. It's unwise for me to take a chance on reversal... because months before I got the colostomy, I underwent 46 radiation treatments for prostate cancer. Radiation causes permanent tissue damage, mainly healing.
Good luck.
Hi Bebej,
Welcome! While my colostomy is permanent, I know people who chose to keep their stoma rather than reattach and are quite happy with that choice.
I think it comes down to how you feel about keeping the stoma and how well you think you would handle the surgery based on your health. It's a very personal choice and you need to make the choice that you are comfortable with.
I truly appreciate your helpful advice with warm-hearted but precise words. I will try not to hurry to have the answer. As you mentioned, my body is not ready to have more operations now. I actually asked my doctor while I was in hospital "Please let me know if you think I'm ready to have hernia surgery." I've already seen him twice after discharging from the hospital, but he didn't tell me about hernia.
By the way, though I'd love to write more to the members on this site, I cannot do that because I haven't upgraded the membership. Well, before that, I can not only look for old posts about colostomy reversal but also wait for the members' advice like yours.
Thank you again.
BebeJ